Play Show, or Right-Click to Download


A special edition of TheDogBox for Rally NZ, we talk to Scott Pedder from the Mystery Creek service park.


Photo courtesy of scottpedder.com.au.


Technorati Tags: Rally New Zealand, Scott Pedder, ARC, Australian Rally Championship, V8 Supercars, V8SC

Labels: Rally, WRC

As I mentioned in last weeks DogBox, Scott Pedder and Glenn Weston will be competing in Rally New Zealand next weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with Scott at the end of each day to bring you his thoughts on the event.

But in the meantime, Scott has completed his first test of a brand new 'Trading Post' Lancer Evo IX, prepared by Reece Jones (who also prepares Lancers for Brian Green and Naren Kumar in the APRC). Check out the YouTube video below.



Speaking on his web site, Scott said, "The car is very good and the guys...have done a fantastic job in a very short time. It was a very successful test session."

Labels: Rally, WRC

The major surprise to come out of Rally Malaysia was the forced retirement of Katsu Taguchi and Jussi Valimaki in the MRF Lancers. Valimaki had reported possible gearbox problems at the end of day 1, but the team was unable to fully examine the fault during service.

However the problem became crystal clear during Sundays first stage, Valimaki's rear differential failing and forcing him to retire at the end of the test. And things went from bad to worse, with Taguchi suffering the same problem on the very next stage.

(The third MRF Lance of Gaurav Gill suffered a broken short shaft in the front differential, which the team fixed during first service).

During the event team boss Lane Heenan suggested the rear diffs may have reached the end of their normal operating life.

But with the cars back at the Race Torque Engineering workshop, the team has investigated the matter further, and the mystery has deepened. Broken teeth were discovered in both rear diffs, which ultimately put Taguchi and Valimaki out of the rally.

What isn't apparent is why the teeth broke. After checking the team records, Heenan confirmed to APRC Live that neither rear differential was out of 'life', nor were they from the same batch.

Heenan and his team will continue to investigate problem, and both cars will be repaired and ready for Rally Indonesia. But unless the source of the problem can be found in time, both Valimaki and Taguchi will be hoping it doesn't raise its head again in the heat and dust of Sulawesi.

Labels: APRC, Rally

Play Show, or Right-Click to Download


Another week, another DogBox, and this time we have coverage of the Rally Deutschland. A good effort by Sebastien Loeb to claim the second tarmac rally of the season in the Citroen C4. But after battling Francois Duval all weekend, disaster struck Marcus Gronholm on the very last stage.

To check out the new Trier super special stage, have a look at this YouTube video.




Photos courtesy of rally-shots.com.


Music this week from:

AnnA - Schneller Propeller. Lead singer Anna describes the whole world from her own point of view to the sound of electropop. It’s about all those everyday questions you busy yourself with while lying in the meadows and watching the clouds fly by. In November 2005 their first EP was released through “auf die plätze/Alive” followed by single and album in August 2006. The band would love to never leave their band bus again and tour non-stop, shoot embarrassing photos of themselves only to show them off and make their kind of pop music popular. That’s how it should be.

Check them out at MySpace and you can purchase their CD from their web site.


The Age of Sound - On a Sunday. The Age Of Sound create a sound which skirts the Brit-pop melodies of the 60s, delivering tunes that will please friends of British guitar music - PopConnection. Check their MySpace page for more music.


The Winyls - Motor Rock. Helsinki-based ,The Winyls are already known as charismatic and energetic live act. "Ya gonna rock your socks off and lose some weight" says the frontman Leady Winyl. The Winyls rock like there's no tomorrow.


Background music: Cargo Cult - 'Wed' (courtesy of Magnatune). Incidental music by Derek K. Miller.


If you like the song, email the artist and let them know. Or, better still, buy a CD!


Technorati Tags: Rally Deutschland, Marcus Gronholm, Mikko Hirvonnen, Petter Solberg, Chris Atkinson, Sebastien Loeb, Francois Duval, Dani Sordo, Henning Solberg, ARC, Australian Rally Championship, V8 Supercars, V8SC

Labels: Rally, WRC

Play Show, or Right-Click to Download

Cody Crockers dream season keeps rolling on, Malaysia his fourth straight victory. Now with a 28 point lead, the rest of the year looks like to will be a fight for second between the MRF team-mates Katsu Taguchi and Jussi Valimaki.

And Malaysia was also a good event for the Reece Jones Motorsport entries, Naren Kumar and Brian Green claiming the other APRC podium positions.




And we also have a chat with three-time APRC champ Karamjit Singh about his come-back to the Malaysian national series, and a possible return to the APRC next year.



And if you have a look at the MotorImage web site, you'll find a short video of the event.

Labels: APRC, Rally

Play Show, or Right-Click to Download

Simon Evans grabs another round win, but this time it's no so easy. Steve Glenney, using Cody Crockers APRC-winning Subaru from 2006, was back for his event of the season, and gave Evans a real run for his money.

Herridge and Bates continue to battle it between themselves, while Brendan Reeves and Spencer Lowndes continue to bank solid results.





Photos courtesy of Toyota Racing Development, rally.com.au and Joel Strickland.

Music this week from:

The Last Parade - Modern Way. The Last Parade dig deep into their rich musical rapport to produce a sound left of present-day rock bands. The tightness and urgency which is evident in the songs can be put down to the personal history the three Jeffery brothers share. Since an early age Keith, Steven and Michael have been writing and performing together and have a common love of music by the Police and the Beatles.

Masterthief - Not So Easy. Masterthief are one of many up-and-coming young bands in the Adelaide scene, but their sound is refreshingly unique. Born out of the long-running songwriting partnership between James Holmes and Jon Low, there is maturity in their sound that comes from a diverse array of influences, from Sigur Ros, Death Cab for Cutie and The Police to contemporary jazz and art-rock. Stay tuned for the release of their debut album which has been in production throughout the first half of 2007.

We Grow Up - Mulberry Tree. The musical outfit formed by singer/songwriters Anthony Golding and Jonathan Mortimer, the band has recently we recorded a batch of songs as well as building up a full band for live performances.

James Gary - Under the Influence. Having established himself as a respected songwriter in the Australian music scene, James, with his band The Resistance, is creating his own niche – one which sits conspicuously yet deservedly, alongside his singer/song-writing contemporaries.

If you like the song, email the artist and let them know. Or, better still, buy a CD!


Background music: Cargo Cult - 'Wed' (courtesy of Magnatune). Incidental music by Derek K. Miller.


Technorati Tags: Rally SA, Simon Evans, Neal Bates, Eli Evans, Dean Herridge, Michael Guest, Darren Windus, Brenden Reeves, Super 2000 Toyota Corolla, Super 2000 Ford Fiesta ARC, Australian Rally Championship, V8 Supercars, V8SC, Formula 1

Labels: ARC, Rally

Having finally made it to Malaysia, go behind the scenes with Jussi Valimaki and the MRF team as they recce the stages (Wednesday), complete shakedown (Thursday), and even find time for a kart race.


Getting down the business, Mark Stacey provides an insight on how he prepares pace notes for Katsu Taguchi, and Jussi does his best Seb Loeb impersonation.

You can view the video up at Jussi's web site.

Labels: APRC, Rally

If you've not had a look at Jussi Valimaki's web site, then it's well worth a visit. Lots of photos and video from his recent APRC and Finnish national championship rallies.





But a new innovation is JussiCam. Travel from Rally Finland to Malaysia with Jussi and the rest of the MRF team. There's even cameo appearances by Manfred Stolh and Ilka Minor, and possibly to worst collection jokes you'll ever hear, as told by Mark Stacey.

Labels: APRC, Rally

Play Show, or Right-Click to Download


This week on TheDogBox, we have coverage of the WRC Rally of Finland. Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonnen duke it out at their home rally, Sebastien Loeb tries to keep up with them, and Chris Atkinson puts in one of his better efforts of the year, running 4th for most of the event and upstaging his team-mate Petter Solberg.

If you want to see what it's like to drive a WRC car in Finland, have a look at this video of Jussi Valimaki testing a Lancer WRC for last years event. (BTW, he grabbed 7th outright).




Photos courtesy of Ville.fi.


Music this week from:

Treeball - Ambulance. 'There tends to be a certain unjustified disposition towards bands who release entire albums for free on the internet. What about bands with visible talent who just enjoy spreading their music to all fans throughout the world, at no cost? Treeball are a good example of this unselfish attitude. Sure, the band could have released I Dream of Eclectic Sheep and made some sort of profit, but they seem to value quality reception and support from fans instead of financial benefaction.' - Obscuresound.com


Sister Flo - White Noise. This track is from their 2004 album. But the boys have a brand-new CD called 'The Healer', which you can purchase through their web site, and have shows lined up in their native Finland during August. Check their MySpace page for dates.


Fume - Sunday Light. Seamlessly combining soaring melodies, metal-tinged riffs, and haunting folk-influenced passages, the distinct musical style of Fume enthralls the listener with songs of dark, complex beauty and raw emotional delivery.


Ethel Suspense - John Wayne. Founded in 1998 by Tomppa and Julle, and after a break of several years, are back together writing, recording and giging. More tracks are up at their MySpace page.


Background music: Cargo Cult - 'Wed' (courtesy of Magnatune). Incidental music by Derek K. Miller.


If you like the song, email the artist and let them know. Or, better still, buy a CD!


Technorati Tags: Rally Finland, Marcus Gronholm, Mikko Hirvonnen, Petter Solberg, Chris Atkinson, Sebastien Loeb, Dani Sordo, Henning Solberg, ARC, Australian Rally Championship, V8 Supercars, V8SC

Labels: Rally, WRC